Jason Segel-related stories
Posted Mar 16th 2010 5:26PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Reality-Free
When we here at TV Squad HQ (an outhouse-sized shack in the suburbs of Paducah, KY) heard that Jason Segel of
'How I Met Your Mother' was co-writing a new theatrical Muppet movie, there was much rejoicing.
Why? Because, while Neil Patrick Harris gets all the attention, Segel has quietly become the comedic glue of the show, able to do subtle humor and physical shtick with the best of them. Also, despite his relative youth, he has expressed his love of the Muppets in the past. So we had a feeling that he was going to produce a script that recalled the best of the Muppet flicks,
'The Muppet Movie' and
'The Great Muppet Caper,' while keeping a modern edge.
Now The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog has the news that
Segel will also be starring in the movie, tentatively titled 'The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time,' as the Muppets' live action buddy, who along with Kermit seeks to reunite the gang to save their old theater. Huzzahs all around.
Continue reading Jason Segel Found A Star For His New Muppet Flick: Himself
Posted Mar 9th 2010 3:45AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E17) Let's see ... this week, we got Ted in the future telling his kids the story that Barney told a police officer after he'd been pulled out of the Hudson River. So did we get Barney's version of events, or the version Ted might remember from his own role?
I'm going with this being Barney's version of events, because it's the only way I can justify the way in which Ted described to Barney the "super-date." All in all, there were several moments that made me smile, but I wasn't laughing as hard as I usually do during an episode of
'How I Met Your Mother.'
However, I'll forgive the episode that because it
did entertain me and more importantly-- it gave us all some much needed
closure!
Continue reading 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'Of Course' Recap
Posted Mar 2nd 2010 9:24AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E16) When I was out in LA for the press tour in January, I had the pleasure of watching the table read for this episode. This was the actual Monday-morning table read, not a show for the gathered critics; the writers were sitting by taking notes that would be used to make changes before shooting.
What struck me about the table read was that, despite the fact that it was the first draft and the cast hadn't fully gotten into how exactly they were going to play the script, the episode was
funny. People were genuinely laughing, including the writers, who have lived with the script for some time; they weren't cackling in an effort to sell their funny lines. In fact, it was one of the funniest episodes of the season.
Watching the final version, I noticed that not a whole lot changed from that table read. And, even though I knew most of what was coming, I laughed as hard as I did when I was on the set a month and a half ago. If that's not the sign of a top-notch episode, I don't know what is.
Continue reading 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'Hooked' Recap
Posted Feb 22nd 2010 4:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Reality-Free, Gone Too Soon, Cougar Town
Created by
Paul Feig and produced by
Judd Apatow,
'Freaks and Geeks' is one of those rare television treasures that no one saw or appreciated until it was too late. Okay, that's unfair. Critics, the press and the loyal fans who did find the show on NBC immediately knew that it was something special. Unfortunately, it didn't find wide enough appeal to last beyond its first season.
Ironically, the show's cast of virtual unknowns now reads like an all-star comedy troupe, which is a testament to the brilliant casting that went on behind the scenes of the show. Finding such talented kids, and then coupling them with brilliant writing crafted on of the most revered television shows of all time.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: 'Freaks and Geeks'
Posted Feb 9th 2010 12:03AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E15) I've noticed that the last few episodes of 'HIMYM' have largely taken place in the "home booth" at MacLaren's. I know it's the 21st century version of the couch at Central Perk, but the world of 'Mother' is a lot bigger than that these days. And, besides, Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan aren't pregnant anymore; there's no need to hide their baby bumps under the table anymore.
That being said, it's a great place for two of this show's signature "bits" to start: 1) Absurd arguments, and 2) Incessant ball-busting. We saw both of these this week, with Ranjit thrown into the mix to make things more interesting. What really made this episode wasn't just the Rabbit/Duck argument, though; it was the subtle direction shifts that made loyal viewers think Ted was going in one not so good direction, when he was really going in a worse -- but more fun! -- direction.
Continue reading Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'Rabbit or Duck'
Posted Feb 2nd 2010 12:02AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E14) Wouldn't everyone want to analyze their love lives with Jim Nantz?
Even if you haven't been as lucky in the sack as Barney Stinson, having an accomplished play-by-play guy talk about the ups and downs of your romantic escapades lends things a bit of gravitas and class.
However the
'HIMYM' writing team came up with the idea of how a nervous Barney recounts his perfect week in his own head, it was an inspired move, as it gave the episode the right narrative pull and really did put you in the position of a fan, pulling for him and making sure he didn't get jinxed. Did I just say that word?
Continue reading Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' - 'The Perfect Week'
Posted Jan 29th 2010 7:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV on the Bigscreen, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
James Bobin has signed on to direct the new Muppet movie. Bobin co-created the television version of Flight of the Conchords (as opposed to the band itself, which was co-created by Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie).
So it's a writer who has predominantly worked in television who is directing a movie about a group of characters who became famous from a television show. The movie itself is co-written by Jason Segel, star of How I Met Your Mother, who is rumored to be a Muppet-maniac. I'm still waiting for his Broadway production of Dracula, the Puppet Musical.
As a Muppet fan myself, I'm happy about this piece of news. I have enjoyed Bobin's work on Da Ali G Show and Flight of the Conchords without being aware of his involvement. I just hope Bobin shows love and respect for the franchise and we don't end up with another Muppets' Wizard of Oz.
Posted Jan 26th 2010 10:35AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free
If you have ever worried that
How I Met Your Mother might be canceled by CBS before the identity of "mother" is revealed, this bit of news should bring you great relief.
CBS has renewed How I Met Your Mother for a sixth season. I give all fans of the comedy permission to join me now in a hearty "Hooray!"
In all seriousness, this is great news. Two years ago, a renewal for
HIMYM wasn't a sure thing. The decision wasn't made until well into the spring. So, clearly, CBS has a new attitude about the
Carter Bays-Craig Thomas creation, not to mention liking their work enough to give
Bays-Thomas a rich new contract and the opportunity to make another sitcom.
Continue reading No suspense this year: How I Met Your Mother is renewed
Posted Jan 23rd 2010 11:00AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free
The folks at our sister site
Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:
Posted Jan 19th 2010 1:02AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, TCA Press Tour, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E13) This was one of those episodes that seemed like it would be more fun than it actually was. The stories seemed to be potentially amusing, and there were some funny moments. But this was definitely on the lower side of the ledger as far as this season's episodes are concerned.
Which one of the stories did I like better? Hm... the Jenkins one, but only by a little bit. It was fun seeing Amanda Peet playing someone who was even more alpha male than Robin, and envisioning Peet doing some of the things Marshall described Jenkins doing wasn't exactly unpleasant. Oh, and it introduced us to Big Fudge, who I hope plays more Skee-Ball as the seasons go on.
Continue reading Review: How I Met Your Mother - Jenkins
Posted Jan 11th 2010 8:42PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E12) After I wrote
my gushing preview of this episode, I went back and re-watched it, hoping my first impression was correct. It turned out that it was, but for a very different reason than I thought. The 100th episode of
HIMYM didn't have everything that makes the show such fun for its fans: there was no time-shifting, and not a lot of misdirection. It just told two straight-ahead stories that were really funny and gave us confidence in how things are going to play out going forward.
Oh, and it had a song-and-dance number that was fun as hell.
Continue reading Review: How I Met Your Mother - Girls vs. Suits
Posted Dec 15th 2009 12:09AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E11) You know you have a good episode going when Harvey Fierstein is cast as one of the female character's "smoking voices," and that's only the third funniest thing that week.
Sure, it was great to hear Harvey's painful-sounding voice coming out Alyson Hannigan's mouth after a few days of smoking. It seems like it would fit well with her character; you know that she's only a few years from calling people "dollface," whether she's smoking or not.
But what carried the episode was seeing a new side to the gang that we haven't seen before, and how they all deal with it. Oh, and it was also good to see some new footage of Ted's kids, even if they're both visibly older.
Continue reading Review: How I Met Your Mother - Last Cigarette Ever
Posted Dec 7th 2009 11:29PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E10) I'm really starting to think that Carter Bays was telling the absolute truth when he told Mike Ausiello that
the writers threw the Barney-Robin relationship into the trash heap. He wasn't being coy about a future plotline; I get the feeling that the writers wanted Single Barney over Relationship Barney and wanted to make sure they got there as quickly as possible.
Why else would we see an entire episode of Barn trying to get laid while wearing Marshall's old overalls? Here's the problem, as others have mentioned: we've seen how much of a good guy Barney can be. So seeing him back to his old tricks seems a bit emptier than it used to, doesn't it?
Continue reading Review: How I Met Your Mother - The Window
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 11:19PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E09) Let me start off by stating that any
HIMYM episode involving the famous slap bet between Marshall and Barney is going to be funny. Just the act of Jason Segel's exaggerated slapping and Neil Patrick Harris' equally exaggerated pratfall in reaction is enough to get me rolling. I just wish the slaps weren't telegraphed so much in advance.
You have to remember that tonight is a sequel to
the original Slapsgiving from two years ago. As sequels go, it's not bad; not as good as the original but satisfying nevertheless. But you knew at some point, Marshall was going to say "That's four!" and Barney was going to rub his face. So we have to examine the journey to get there. That journey started off well, but got a little predictable. Still didn't make the slap itself any less funny.
Continue reading Review: How I Met Your Mother - Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap
Posted Nov 17th 2009 9:40AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E08) Could it be that, after the whole season five build-up to the Swarkles relationship, everyone would more or less go back to normal by episode eight of season six? It seems that way, and I don't know how I feel about it.
Relationship Barney wasn't that pleasant to watch. Some of his patented awesomeness tried to come through but he was increasingly becoming a content guy, which is no good for comedy. But to see him immediately snap back to the way he was pre-Robin was equally jarring. Maybe that's the way it has to be for Barney ... I don't know. But, as funny as the exploration of Barn's playbook was, it felt like the last two dozen or so episodes never happened.
Oh, and it seems like Robin's quickly moving on too, so it's not all on Barney ...
Continue reading Review: How I Met Your Mother - The Playbook
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